RANDOM THOUGHTS ON SPORTS

I’ve been living in Las Vegas for over 20 years. I was at the Thomas and Mack for almost all of the Larry Johnson led Runnin’ Rebels games from 1989-1991. I loved every minute of them. I remember the electricity in the building when the injured Greg Anthony, who was not expected to play (in a very important game), walked onto the court wearing a plastic facemask, and proceeded to play a really good game. When that happened, how could you help but be reminded of Willis Reed limping onto the court (under pretty much the same circumstances) for the Knicks against the Lakers in game 7 of the 1970 NBA championship game. Reed didn’t do a great deal in the game, scoring only 2 field goals, but most people to this day, think that his appearance deflated the Lakers (and inspired the Knicks) to the point where they were easy (113-99) winners. In fact, it was voted the greatest moment EVER in Madison Square Garden. Believe it or not, the thought that brought me back to this thinking was the UNLV sports program. Are we EVER going to have a really competitive football team? I’ve been waiting for over 20 years. We’re ALWAYS competitive in basketball. We USUALLY have a good, competitive team in baseball. Well- I’ll keep waiting (and rooting.) GO REBELS! By the way, the next home baseball game (at Wilson Stadium) is on April 5th at 6:05 pm. The Rebels are playing San Diego State. Also, if you haven’t been out to watch women’s softball at Eller Media Stadium (Harmon and Swenson), you are in for a treat. I get out there fairly often, and I’m never disappointed. Next game (game 1 of 2) is on April 11th at 4 pm against Southern Utah.

People are obviously watching pro golf on TV in good numbers, but I wonder if they are rooting for Tiger Woods with anything near the fervor they had for him prior to his well-publicized problems. I think most people understand how important he is FOR GOLF, but on a personal level, I think the thrill is gone and most fans, though they still love to watch his golfing expertise, are not rooting nearly as hard for him to win as they did in the past. I think there might be some fans out there that will disagree with me on that point. If so, let me know.

On the NBA front: Jeremy Lin of the Knicks has come down a bit from his lofty perch during Lin-Sanity. He currently resides on the bench due to an injury. Baron Davis is a seasoned pro point guard, and you know he won’t embarrass you out there. However, he will be 33 in a couple of weeks, he hasn’t played long minutes for a long, long time, is working on questionable wheels, and I doubt if he can carry the team except for short periods off the bench. I have the feeling that the only way the Knicks will move on is if Jeremy returns, AND SOON.

In the spirit of saving valuable time for fans who watch the post-game interview shows on TV (BORing, BORing,) read the following. By doing so, you will hear almost every answer to almost every question uttered during those times. Then use the time you’ve saved as quality time with your kids. That will be a lot more productive.